Industry Development

ITIDA supports local Egyptian businesses through entering new markets and increasing their exports, strengthening business ties with existing markets and enhancing the capacities of local startups. As part of its national development strategy, ITIDA created three core areas to enable it grow and nurture its local ICT industry. These focus on increasing awareness of available IT solutions, reimbursing product costs and supporting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). To assist local companies in achieving this, ITIDA set-up a number of packages and incentives including:

Enterprise Capacity Building Program

Developing and nurturing home grown talent is vital to the success of Egypt’s future as a world-leader in the ICT industry. As part of its commitment to the local scene, ITIDA launched its Enterprise Capacity Building Program (ECBP) in cooperation with international IT service firm Atos Origin to increase the international competitiveness of 100 Egyptian IT companies that are existing exporters, or who have export potential. ECBO seeks to empower these companies to successfully handle the development, production and business management processes of products/services that will suit their potential export markets.

Atos Origin leads an international consortium composed of Hewitt Associates, Arthur D. Little, the Indian QAI as well as Community and Institutional Development (CID) to offer consulting services to the selected 100 companies.

The program lasts for three years and consists of a preparatory, implementation and exit phase:

• Preparatory / Inception Phase: auditing the eligibility criteria, benchmarking and analyzing the company and its plans, formulating the Program Management Unit (PMU), setting up the web-based management system and scheduling the program and reporting system.
  
• Implementation Phase: implementing business upgrading plans, applying the business management methodology, conducing learning events, mentoring and monitoring of all program processes, and interim report.
  
• Exit Phase: Evaluating the entire program, recommendation, formulation of exit strategy, and final report.

To help encourage local companies to part-take in the program, ITIDA subsidizes 85% of costs for all activities provided under the implementation phase with beneficiary companies paying the remaining 15%.

The participating companies should meet the basic eligibility criteria for selection to be approved by ITIDA. For the purpose of the program, ITIDA aims to classify each of the beneficiaries into two groups.

To encourage collaboration and connect local and international companies, ITIDA has designed a comprehensive database where local organizations can log in and edit their profiles, interact and network with partners, and join ITIDA’s objective in lifting Egypt to the primary location for outsourcing communications and technology to the world. The database will enable international organizations to learn more about Egyptian companies and how they can invest in the country’s ICT market and establish partnerships with this fast-growing and attractive location.

And join ITIDA's objective in lifting Egypt to the primary location for outsourcing communications and technology to the world. The database will enable international organizations to learn more about Egyptian companies and how they can invest in the country's ICT market and establish partnerships with this fast-growing and attractive location.

Interested in the program Click here to apply

International Exhibitions / Events

To help it achieve its aim of promoting Egypt within the ICT sector, ITIDA has established a new event strategy that will see it exhibiting at some of the world’s leading industry events in 2009. The primary objective of this strategy is to raise awareness of what Egypt has to offer local and multinational organizations and to showcase it as a dynamic and world-class outsourcing location.

To support local companies at these events, ITIDA subsidizes 85% of international exhibitions to Egyptian companies participating collectively at the Egyptian Pavilion. This includes the travel and accommodation of one representative of the company, and the cost of the design, rental and full equipment for the space provided to the companies. ITIDA will also sponsor promotional material and giveaways.

Each company benefits from ITIDA’s financial support for three years, for a maximum participation of nine exhibitions throughout this period.

Trade missions

ITIDA offers trade missions addressed to specific markets in order to encourage Egyptian companies to penetrate new markets worldwide. This is structured to gain information about international markets, or to promote Egyptian companies and the Egyptian market in order to target other markets.

Each company benefits from this financial support for a period of three years, with participation in a maximum of three trade missions per year.

Single intervention

ITIDA also offers financial support to individual companies wishing to participate in ICT related exhibitions. The “single intervention” program is designed to encourage IT companies to apply for the financial support and gain access to an exhibition that might not witness an Egyptian stand.